Massage apparatus.



J. W. JONES.

MASSAGE APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. '1, 1908.

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Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

JOSEPH W. JONES, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

MASSAGE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 7, 1908.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

serial no. 461,523.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. JONES, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of New York city, New York, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Massage Apparatus, which improvement is fullyset forth in the following specification.

My invention relates to massage apparatus operated by electricity,particularly an apparatus of a portable nature.

The object of the invention is to provide a portable or hand apparatusthat can be connected either to the ordinary electriclamp socket or toany convenient battery or other source of power; to provide an apparatusthat shall be positively actuated in each direction; one in which thedirectlyactuated massage brush can be applied to the person of thepatient; and especially an apparatus that shall be cheap and simple inconstruction and with its working-parts easy of access, durable inservice, and not requiring any adjustment or the care of a skilledelectrician.

The invention comprises one or more pairs of oppositely-disposedelectro-magnets that alternate in positively actuating their commonarmature, together with suitable makeand-break devices; the mounting ofthe (interchangeable) massage brush directly upon the end of saidpositively-actuated armature; the form of casing employed for supportingand inclosing the parts; and the armature-bracket hereinafter disclosed.

The invention consists further in certain details of construction andarrangement hereinafter set forth and claimed.

My invention will vbe best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in whichv Figure 1 is a perspective of the apparatus with itscover in place; Fig. 2 is a front elevation, with the cover removed, thewiring being shown diagrammatically; Fig. 3 is a vertical section; Fig.4 is a horizontal section; and Fig. 5 shows a detail.

The casing is made up of the main frame and its cover, with a handle.The main frame consists of a flat metal plate 1, having its ends 2 and 3extending at right angles in substantially ]-shape. The cover is asimilarly shaped plate 4, that engages the main frame transversely, itscentral portion being opposite and parallel to plate 1, and itsend-pieces 4 extending between the sides of the end-pieces 2 and 3of themain frame. The frame and its cover thus provide the six sides of asubstantially cubical box. The handle is shown as of metal tubing 5,inclosed at its lower end (except for an insulation plug for theleading-in wires); and secured at its upper end, as by a flange, to thelower plate 3 of the main frame. The plate 1 of the main frame iscentrally apertured at 6; and the lower plate 3 of the frame has anopening to register with the bore of the hollow handle 5. The cover 4 iscentrally apertured for the vibrating device; and preferably the coveris perforated to permit air-cooling of the parts when in operation, onlya few of the perforations being indicated at 7 in Fig. 1. `Preferablythe cover is sprung over the main frame where its resiliency retains itin place, the extremities of its end-pieces being slightly curvedinwardly to engage at the rear of plates 2 and 3 of the main frame, asshown at 8 in Fig. 4.

9 and 10 indicate one or more pairs of oppositely arranged electromagnets. There are preferably two such pairs. Magnets 9 are secured toend-pieces 2 of the main frame, as by screws 11 passing into the spoolsof the electro-magnets; and magnetsV 10 are similarly secured to thelower endpieces 3 of the frame. The armaturebracket is composed of thering 12 secured to plate 1 about the aperture 6, and having theoppositely-disposed standards 13--13,

extending outwardly in a horizontal plane, and another pair of standards14 extending inwardly in a vertical plane. The armature-bracket isinsulated from the frame by suitable material 15. The inner standards 14carry insulated binding-posts 16 and 17 respectively, whose endsconstitute contactmembers or terminals. The armature-plate 18 is shownas pivoted at its rear between the outer standards 13 of the bracket,and extending through the aperture 6 so as to lie between the adjacentends of the opposing magnets 9 and 10, while the forward end of thearmature-plate extends through the central opening of the cover 4, andis threaded at 19 for securing the interchangeable massage brushes 20. l

21 and 22 are spring-contact members carried' on opposite sides of thearmature plate, adjacent to the contact-members 1G and 17 respectively.

The wiring is illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be understood, of course,that the wires do not extend outside of the casing, but are merely soshown in this view for the sake of clearness. The leading-in wires 23enter the end of the handle 5 at the insulating plug 24 (Fig. 1). In oneof these wires 25, which for convenience may be regarded as thepositive, is located the main switch, comprising the spring 26 thatnormally holds the switch open, and the push button 27 which protrudesthrough the handle 5. This positive Wire 25 divides at 28, to supply twocircuits; one branch 29 leads to the windings of the lower magnets 10,and thence (by wire 30) to the upper binding-post 16 which constitutesthe terminal of that circuit; while the other branch of the positivewire leads from the point 28 (by wire 31) to the windings of the uppermagnets 9, and thence (by wire 32) to the lower binding-post 17, thatconstitutes the terminal of the other circuit. The remainder of eithercircuit would be from the upper spring-contact 21 or the lowerspring-contact 22 (as the case may be), to the armature-plate 18, thencethrough its bracket to one of the standards 14, which latter isconnected to the negative leading-in wire 33. The upper pair of contacts16-21 constitutes the make-and-break device for the lower magnets 10;and in like manner, the lower pair of contacts 17-22 constitutes themake-and-break device for the upper magnets 9.

The operation is as follows: In the position shown in the main figuresof the drawings, armature 18, on account of its own weight, rests uponthe cores of the lower magnets 10, so that the lower make-andbreakdevice 17-22 is closed, while the upper make-and-break device 16-21 isopen. Consequently, as soon as the main switch 26-27 is closed, thecurrent can pass through the upper winding, but not through the lower.Upon closing the main switch, the upper magnets only are energized, anddraw up the armature, which breaks the circuit at- 17-21 while closingat 16-21 the circuit of the lower magnets; thereupon, the upper magnetsare denergized and the lower magnets energized, and the armature isdrawn down,-and so on continuously. So long as main switch 26-27 is heldclosed, armature 18 is positively actuated up and down, carrying with itmassage-device 20, preferably a cup or brush of soft rubber.

34-34; indicate oppositely-disposed standards mounted in the plates 2and 3 respectively, and screw-threaded at their inner ends while 35-35are split sleeves screw-threaded interiorly and engaging the respectiveposts, and carrying at their inner ends pads 36 of rubber, leather, etc.These pads serve as stops to cushion the strokes of the armatureplate18, besides helping to give it a rebound. They are adjustable by meansof the screw-threads.

Changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts and inthe shape and manner of securing the casing, in the number ofelectro-magnets and in the manner of securing them, in the form ofmakeand-break devices illustrated and described, in the form of mainswitch, etc.; and partel of my invention may be used to the exclusion ofother parts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An electric massage apparatus, comprising the combination, with acasing consisting of a centrally aperturcd plate having its endsextending at right angles therefrom and a second plate of similar shapeengaging transversely thereof to complete the inclosure, of anelectro-magnet carried by each of the plate-ends first mentioned, aninsulated ring secured at the aperture before mentioned and havinginwardly-extending standards carrying insulated binding-posts and havingoutwardly-extending standards, an armature-plate located between saidelectro-magnets and mounted at its outer end in the standardslast-mentioned and having its free end extending to the central aperturein said second plate and adapted to carry a massage-device, acontact-member carried on said armatureplate adjacent to eachbinding-post, electrical connections from one of the leading-in wires toeach of the electromagnets and thence to its nonadjacent binding-post,and an electrical connection from the other leading-in wire to saidcontact-members.

2. An electrical massage apparatus consisting of a substantially ]shapedmain frame and a similarly-shaped cover interlocked therewith to form acasing, a tubular handle secured to the bottom of said plate, anarmature-bracket secured about an aperture in the central portion ofsaid plate and carrying binding-posts, an armature mounted in saidarmature-bracket and carrying at its other end a detachablemassage-mush, one or more electro-magnets located on each side of saidarmature and secured to the respective ends of said frame, andsuitablyconnected make-and-break devices for actuating said armature.

3. An electric apparatus comprising a casing consisting of acentrally-apertured plate having its two ends bent at right anglesthereto and a similarly-shaped plate transversely engaging the first toinclose the interior, a handle for said casing secured to the bottom endof the first-named plate,- and located within said interioroppositelydisposed electro-magnets secured to the ends of the rst-namedplate, an armaturebracket secured to the main portion of the first-namedplate at the aperture aforesaid and having inwardly-extending standardssupporting binding-posts, and an armature supported in said bracket andlocated between the electro-magnets and having its free end extending tothe central aperture in the second plate aforesaid and carrying amassage-device, and means for makingand-breaking the circuit for eachset of electro-magnets and thereby directing the current alternatelyfrom one set to the opposite set of magnets.

4. The combination, with one or more pairs of oppositely-disposedelectro-magnets, a common armature vibrating between them and carryingon each side a contact-member, a massage-device carried by saidarmature, a binding-post adjacent to each contactmember, and wiring fromeach binding-post to the non-adjacent electro-magnet, of a casingtherefor comprising two ]shaped plates transversely engaging each other,on one of which plates the before-mentioned parts are directly mounted,and a handle secured to said casing and carrying the leading-in wiresand a main switch.

5. In an electrical apparatus, the armature-bracket consisting of a ringhaving a pair of diametrically-opposed standards eX- tending from oneside thereof, and another pair of diametrically-opposed standards eX-tending from the other side of said ring, the plane of each pair beingat right angles to the plane of the other pair.

6. In an electric massage apparatus, the

casing consisting of the two centrally-apertured andtransversely-engaged metal plates of substantially ]shape, 1ncombination with a handle rigidly secured to one of said plates.

7 A portable electrically-operated massage-apparatus, comprising areciprocating armature-plate with a massage-tool carried at its outerend, adjustable pads or cushions for limiting the play of the saidplate, an electro-magnet acting positively on each side of said plate, asuitable make-and-break device for each electro-magnet, and a casing4supporting and surrounding the whole.

8. A portable electrically-operated inassage-apparatus, comprising ahandle having the leading-in wires entering its lower end, a` switchtherefor located in said handle, a casing secured to the upper end ofsaid handle, a transversely-arranged vibratory-Inember projecting fromone side of said easing and vibrating from side to side of its own axis,in the plane of the aXis of said handle, a massage-brush secured uponthe free end of said member, oppositely-disposed electromagnets locatedwithin said casing and eX tending in the same direction as said handle,and suitable automatically-operated makeand-break devices for vibratingsaid member in the plane of the axis of said handle.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH W. JONES. Witnesses:

C. A. L. Massin, RALPH L. SCOTT.

